i2CAT Foundation is creating a citizen laboratory on open data in the framework of the Open4Citizens project

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Last January 2016 marked the start of the Open4Citizens project, an initiative that aims to unleash the potential of open data for the citizens. This project, funded by the H2020 program of the European Commission, will design a model of a citizen laboratory where different actors can co-create solutions based on open data that address a range of urban problems. The model of citizen laboratory will be referred to as OpenDataLab, and will be piloted simultaneously in five European cities: Barcelona (Catalonia), Milan (Italy), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Karlstad (Sweden) and Copenhagen (Denmark).

The Barcelona OpenDataLab will be created with the aim of solving an existing problem in the field of open data. On the one hand, governments have spent several years opening a large volume of data, under initiatives of "open data" and transparency. These data, however, are offered in a variety of formats and through channels that have been proven inadequate to facilitate reuse. On the other hand, the public has very few tools to make effective use of open data, and has a lack of knowledge about their potential to solve problems in their daily lives in areas such as mobility, urban coexistence, health or culture, for instance. The Barcelona OpenDataLab purports to address this problem, stimulating local communities to find innovative solutions based on the reuse of open data. The launch of the pilot of the Barcelona OpenDataLab is expected by September 2016, with a citizen co-creation event that will give the starting signal for the laboratory’s activities.

The i2CAT Foundation will participate in this project with their Living Labs and eHealth units, which will explore issues related to the livability of cities and the improvement of living conditions of citizens. Citizens will be given access to a set of dynamics, spaces and technologies that will allow them to explore their own solutions based on the use of open data to add social value in these areas. Besides managing the Barcelona OpenDataLab, the i2CAT Foundation will also have a leading role in the analysis and reflection on the experiences of the five cities participating in the project.